For many fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000, getting the crew aboard the Satellite of Love, as well as the mad scientists way down in Deep 13, all together for a reunion wasn’t ever likely to become a reality. There were lots of factors at play keeping it from happening, many of which stem from the relationships and the “alleged” goings-on behind the scenes of the show.

Many of the cast members had also gone their various ways to pursue other projects after the show went off the air in 1999, not to mention that it would only have been relegated to a convention appearance of some sort. In many ways, it was indeed a long-shot that it would ever happen. [Read on here...]

MST3K had been a long-running show that began airing on local television in the Minneapolis viewing area before jumping onto cable TV by way of the then fledgling Comedy Channel (later becoming Comedy Central). Later on, it filled out the rest of its years on the Sci-Fi channel, amidst a movie and several cast member changes. Since it went off the air, there have been many stories from different parties as to exactly what went down behind the scenes and why key cast members, crew, and producers of the show either didn’t get along or weren’t interested in working together anymore. All of it could simply be hogwash, but it certainly kept fans talking for years.

All of that began to change in the mid-2000’s when Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy started the short-lived Film Crew series. It’s actually the closest that anybody ever got to doing an MST3K-type show since it ended. It had the riffs, of course, but it also had the in-between sketches. It only managed to get four shows in before falling by the wayside, but it kept fans satiated for a brief window. Later on, the three returned to form with Rifftrax, which to date, has been the most successful incarnation of the whole “riffing on movies” idea since MST3K’s demise. Between the MP3s, VOD & home video titles, and the live shows, it’s been a tremendous success. Yet despite it, the question still hung in the air over everyone’s heads: would the entire cast of MST3K return someday?

Meanwhile, Joel Hodgson was busy gathering together the rest of the MST3K cast including Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Mary Jo Pehl, and J. Elvis Weinstein for Cinematic Titanic, a live riffing show of their own that toured the country and managed to squeeze out a few DVD releases as well. After the show was eventually retired, more talk of a reunion surfaced. According to Joel, it was just a matter of finding the right time and the right place, as well as doing “something special”. Then word came down the pike that not only had Shout! Factory secured exclusive rights to MST3K lock, stock, and barrel, but that a new version of MST3K was in the works with a new cast, spearheaded by Joel. Then, as if out of nowhere, it happened. The announcement came. Due to a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign by Rifftrax, nearly all of the main cast from MST3K would return for a reunion show via Rifftrax Live!. Additionally, the new MST3K host Jonah Ray would also be there, as well as MST3K alumna Bridgette Jones Nelson (noticeably absent were J. Elvis Weinstein and Jim Mallon, for reasons I’m not going to get into).

As I write this, it’s 1am and I just got home from seeing Rifftrax Live! MST3K Reunion and, let me tell you, it was a blast. Not only did it feel a bit emotional at times seeing all of these people all on a stage together for the first time in decades, but it felt like they hadn’t missed a beat after being apart for so long. Now I don’t want to sound like a drooling fanboy and say that the show was absolutely perfect. There were some minor missteps and a couple of awkward moments to be had, but not to the degree that it ruined the show for me in any way. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, and at certain points, I was crying from laughing so hard.

For this particular show, instead of riffing a movie or two, they decided to do a night of shorts, with cast members coming out two or three at a time to give them a chance to do some stuff on their own. It was probably THE best course of action for the show, but because of the slow trickling of guests and the quality of the shorts themselves, things did seem a little uneven. Some shorts and riffs were stronger than others, but never was it at the expense of the show as a whole. I’ve always said that MST3K almost never had perfect episodes where every joke landed smoothly or every skit killed, which is a subjective point of view, I know. Regardless, the reunion show stayed entertaining for the full two hours and never did I find myself bored or at least chuckling, let alone snorting with laughter.

Besides the usual random pre-show joke title cards with parody music playing underneath (including a couple of versions of the MST3K theme song), there was also a pretty cool opening, which contained a quick run-down of past live shows, just to get you acclimated to and pumped for what was to come. Once the show got started. Mike, Kevin, and Bill took on The Talking Car, which is about a little boy who just can’t seem to remember the rules of crossing the road. He finds help in the form of laugh-inducing (or nightmare-inducing, depending on how you look at it) talking cars to give him some pointers. Next up, Bridgette and Mary Jo took the stage to riff on A Word to the Wives (which had been previously riffed sans audience). This very dated and sexist short shows just what it took to get a man to understand what it’s like for a woman in a kitchen that doesn’t fully suit her needs. The man attempts to cook, hilarity ensues. After that, Trace and Frank came out for More Dates for Kay, a short that highlights a young woman’s desire to be more outgoing with the opposite sex. And by outgoing, I mean going out with them, as many of them as possible. Once that short ran its hilarious course, Mike, Kevin, and Bill came back out for a previously-riffed classic Shake Hands with Danger, a brutal look at what can go wrong at a work site if proper safety guidelines aren’t followed. Warning: you will laugh at the horror you will witness. Next up, Joel and Jonah, who came out to tackle Americans at Work, but more specifically, barbers and beauticians. While a man stands outside and hotboxes one Camel after another, his wife has her hair done. Oh women, they take forever, don’t cha know? Then for a little breather, Mike, Bill, and Kevin brought out the head writers at Rifftrax, Sean Thomason and Conor Lastowka, to show them a little appreciation. After that, they ran a Rifftrax: 10 Years sizzle reel, highlighting some of the funniest jokes from the various movies and shorts that they’ve riffed on over the years. Everything culminated with Riffapalooza, which featured the entire cast riffing two shorts:Stamp Day for Superman and At Your Fingertips: Grasses, the latter of which was a previously riffed classic. Bill Corbett even plugs his Tumblr page cornisgrass.com for good measure.

For me personally, there were some great highlights. Just seeing these people interact and hug each other gave me goosebumps, especially Mike & Joel and Trace & Bill. As far as which shorts were my favorites, I have none, but I laughed the most at More Dates for Kay and At Your Fingertips: Grasses. I actually think that the last one is probably the highlight of the show, and saved for last for a reason. The show ended with many thanks to Kickstarter backers pictured and non-pictured, as well as lots of footage taken at the show behind the scenes and in the theater lobby. I was sad when it ended, but relieved at the same too because I just don’t think I had any laughs left in me and my face was hurting from smiling so much. Ok, that last sentiment was a little too much, I know, but I can’t stress enough how much fun I had.

If you somehow missed seeing this show, I urge you to get tickets for the replay of it on July 12. Not only is it great to get to see these people do something together after all of these years, but it’s one of the funniest times you’ll have in the theater outside of Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates... wait, scratch that. That last bit was wrong, all wrong. Seriously though, it’s a great show, and worth your hard-earned moolah and minutes to see. Now push the button Frank, and order those tickets now! And after that, brush up on your MST3K and Rifftrax!

Quick important note: Because of all the extra traffic this week, we’re going to be upgrading our server this evening to be able to handle these kinds of traffic spikes more easily. We may be down for a couple hours later tonight but we should be back up by tomorrow morning better than ever. Certainly by Monday, Scotty tells us that the warp core should be purring like a kitten again. So thanks for your patience and know that things will be much better soon.

Now then, there’s big release news today…

Our friends at Kino Lorber have announced their November Blu-ray and DVD release slate and there are some real gems, including a Nosferatu: 2-Disc Deluxe Remastered Edition (DVD & Blu-ray) and a Russian Ark: Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray and DVD) on 11/19! F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu will include two versions of the 1922 classic, the original German Intertitles (with optional English subs) or English Intertitles, Hans Erdmann’s original 1922 score in 5.1 Surround or 2.0 Stereo, the 53-minute The Language of Shadows documentary chronicling Murnau’s early career, clips and highlights from other Murnau films and a photo gallery. Features on Russian Ark are still TBA. [Read on here…]

Kino Lorber has also set Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay and Computer Chess (both DVD only) for release on 11/5, Greenwich Village: Music That Defined a Generation (DVD only), David Leeds’ western Shoot the Sun Down: Director’s Cut (Blu-ray and DVD) and Barbara (Blu-ray and DVD) for release on 11/12, the Drew Struzan documentary Drew: The Man Behind the Poster (DVD only) for release on 11/19, Applause and Animals (DVD only) for release on 11/26.

Here’s a look at the Blu-ray cover artwork for Nosferatu and Shoot the Sun Down, as well as Paramount’s recently announced Terms of Endearment (available on Blu-ray for the first time on 12/3). All are available for pre-order on Amazon.com by clicking on the covers…

Also I wanted to mention that we’re just a month away from the kickoff of this year’s Hell Plaza Oktoberfest! Throughout the month of October, our very own Dr. Adam Jahnke will turn in new horror-themed Blu-ray and DVD reviews daily, leading up to the big finale on Halloween. It’s a lot of fun every year – one of our most popular features – so be sure to stay tuned for that!

Now then… it seems that I struck a nerve with my rant and review about Paramount’s Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-ray this week. Ain’t it Cool News, Collider, Trek Movie, Den of Geek, Trek Today, JoBlo, Syfy’s Blastr, Bleeding Cool, SlashFilm and many other fine film, Trek and Blu-ray websites all picked up the story and linked back to us (thus the server meltdown here at the site). That’s really awesome and we appreciate it. So thank you guys for the links and for all your kind words. Rest assured, we’re not done – we are definitely going to be following up on this issue in the next few weeks.

The Digital Bits has been covering Blu-ray and DVD news since 1997, but some of you may be reading us for the first time. Welcome! We’re glad to have you and we hope you’ll keep coming back. We don’t just review discs and cover release news here at The Bits though – we’ve long served as advocates for Blu-ray, DVD and home theater fans and consumers like you, with unique access to the Hollywood studios and film and home video industry professionals. So we also work to address issues and try to hopefully improve the Blu-ray and DVD experience for everyone. And as you may have noticed, based on the Star Trek column and review, we tend to call things as we see them, so once in a while you’ll read a pretty darn good rant around here. We also have a great team of experienced columnists and reviewers whose work we hope you’ll explore and enjoy.